SPÖ Vorarlberg (Austria) voted for the resolution put forward by the Socialist Youth (SJ) to support the Hands off Venezuela Campaign. With the passing of this resolution the SPÖ Vorarlberg expresses its solidarity with the Bolivarian Revolution and supports the revolutionary Venezuelan trade union, the UNT, as the only genuine militant and anti-capitalist trade union in the country. More than 200 delegates of the Vorarlberg section of the Austrian Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) gathered on November 12, 2005 to discuss the policies and direction of the party for the next two years.

The shift to the left in the labour movement in Austria was palpable and was reflected in the mood of the congress. The delegates voted for the resolution put forward by the Socialist Youth (SJ) to support the Hands off Venezuela Campaign. With the passing of this resolution the SPÖ Vorarlberg expresses its solidarity with the Bolivarian Revolution and supports the revolutionary Venezuelan trade union, the UNT, as the only genuine militant and anti-capitalist trade union in the country. The party also committed itself to support the international Hands off Venezuela campaign and to spread awareness about the Bolivarian Revolution in the whole of Vorarlberg.

The acceptance of this resolution is a big step forward for the local Hands off Venezuela committee organized in the Socialist Youth and for the international worker’s movement as a whole. The fact that there is strong support for the HOV campaign in this conservative region of Austria is an encouraging sign and shows that the Venezuelan revolution gives hope to a wide layer of working class people around the world.